1st
PropertyOfZack Review : : The Horrible Crowes
I wrote this.
On September 6, Gaslight Anthem frontman Brian Fallon and guitar tech Ian Perkins released Elsie, the hotly anticipated debut from the duo’s moniker, The Horrible Crowes. The album represents a clear and visible continuation of Fallon’s always-maturing song-craftsmanship, from his previous two efforts with Gaslight—The ’59 Sound and American Slang. The entire record is steeped in a dark, lush sense of nostalgia, which serves only to augment the bombastic, cinematic sound, achieved by the duo.
Elsie opens up with “Last Rites,” which is essentially an introduction to the album. Fallon’s lyricism kicks in with the opening lines, which read like an instruction manual: “Start up the car, bury your memories. Call on your lovers, speaking slow and heavy.” The shaking of a single tambourine sets the “6/8” tempo and continues after the guitar and vocals drop out, delivering a haunting exposition. From there, the record quickly picks up steam with “Sugar,” a chilled, whispered reproach of a runaround lover, marked by pounding floor toms and a cold, shrill organ tone. Fallon plays it cool on “Sugar,” letting the track simmer throughout, never fully building the tension. The third track on the record, also the single, “Behold The Hurricane” offers a change in the form of a swelling, anthem of a barn-burner, replete with pop sensibility in its sing-along “woahs” and soaring choruses. Fallon’s vocals absolutely ache, quivering around the imagery of a lost soul, alone in an old house at night—a metaphor familiar to listeners of his primary band.
On all of Elsie, Fallon really shines as a storyteller, crafting exquisite film noir vignettes with characters that seem to reappear and themes that recur throughout. Gaslight fans may know Fallon as a talented lyricist, but one of his more extraordinary musical moments on the album comes in the form of “I Witnessed a Crime,” which sounds inexplicably haunting yet remarkably groove-laden. For as darkly romantic an image as Fallon’s lyrics weave, The Horrible Crowes’ music proves an absolutely perfect compliment; from the tasteful use of percussion and organ to the warm guitar tones to the overall “mood” of the album, the music itself seems to “work” cogently with every last lyric.
